The National Police have arrested a married couple in Tenerife, who have scammed more than 800,000 euros from people by acting as external agents of a recognized estate agency, who then ‘sold’ properties to unsuspecting victims, keeping the deposits and telling them that the sale had fallen through and that they had lost their money.
In June, agents of the National Police received similar complaints from people who claimed to have signed deposit contracts for the purchase of properties in Tenerife, paying large sums to an estate agent that resulted in them losing their money and not buying the property.
This agency, located in La Laguna, was run by a married couple aged 42 and 39, who acted as external agents for a prestigious real estate company. In this way, they accessed their client portfolio and obtained the necessary information for their fraudulent action.
Their method consisted of capturing data from the clients of the renowned company and, through their agency, carrying out fictitious sales of their properties. In this way, it has been verified by the police, that buyers parted with sums of up to 85,000 euros in good faith to reserve a home that they never completed, with the couple keeping their deposit.
All this happened without the real owner of the property having any knowledge that a fraudulent ‘sale’ was even being carried out. When the scammed clients demanded their money back from the couple, they said that they were going to return it, issuing them cheques and promissory notes, knowing that they would not be cashed due to lack of funds, causing even more problems for those affected.
The investigation led police, after judicial authorization, to a search of a luxurious villa, valued at 1.5 million euros located on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz, where the couple were living and were subsequently arrested.
Police found out that they had an eviction order to vacate the property as they hadn’t paid any rent, and seized contracts and other documentation that helped build the case against them, as well as computer equipment and other devices that are being analysed by National Police experts.
Police are advising any potential buyers or sellers of properties, to make sure they are using a reputable established estate agency that has offices you can visit and a proven track record.
